Princeton first again in college rankings

Princeton University is rated as the nation's top university in the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings, the eighth year in a row the school has either held or tied for the number one position in the controversial list.

The New Jersey school scored a perfect 100 on the magazine's scale. Harvard, which finished second in the rankings, scored 99. Yale finished at number three, followed by Stanford, the California Institute of Technology, the University of Pennsylvania, the Massachusetts Institute Of Technology, Duke, Columbia and the University of Chicago.

The rankings, to be released today, have come under fire this year from a group of 62 college presidents and educators, led by education activist Lloyd Thacker. The educators say they will stop participating in a key survey used to calculate the scores and will not use their rank in their own promotional materials.

None of the top 50 ranked schools, including Princeton, have signed the pledge.

"We're gratified that Princeton continues to be recognized, not only for the overall quality of the education we provide but also for our commitment to financial aid initiatives that make a Princeton education accessible to all admitted students, and the strength of the individual programs we offer," the university said in a statement released Thursday.

The rankings, popular with families trying to choose colleges, have been criticized for years by educators who dislike the notion that academic institutions can be ranked like sports teams, cars or refrigerators.